MR 73 - A Última Missão

I am not going to write a review. Only a few thoughts about this feature. It was a lucky accident to discover the Olvier Marchal movies thanks to my European friends. In a few days I saw a several of them and this one easily became my favorite.

The story about lost soul desperately trying to reunite with the love of his life. The only way to do so is to die. The most acceptable way to do it by drinking himself to death. He grew up as a Christian after all, so quick death is not an option. The long struggle helps him to dignify his own death. The sin, the redemption, the death and the rebirth of the character - that's what I found in this feature.

As i was thrilled by the action, acting and dark side of MARCHAL' s "36", i decided not to miss his next film. there is less action like" Heat" but more reflection and gruesome images, like in SEVEN, if you like. Auteuil and the girl are perfect. you feel for both. you love to hate the baddies as we all did in "36", but it just shows that in the police force, of any nationality by the way, there are some who do their jobs for the right reasons and some who have lost faith, and the notion of good. i loved the ending and i will not spoil it for you. a great plot , 2 to be exact. it is refreshing to watch a film noir as good as,if not better than when they first came out 50 years ago. Auteuil is a great one for those. Depardieu in the next movie again would be the icing on Marchal' s cake.

I discovered this brutal but entertaining thriller checking all directed movies by Olivier Marchal. I don't regret because it was never boring. There were plenty twists and dramatic moments.

The story is built up carefully with dark and violent pictures. There are some nudity scenes to keep high the attention... I have only one critic: the identity of the killer could have been revealed with much more suspense.

Toward the end it was so far emotionally that I had nearly tears in my eyes.

Daniel Auteuil and all the other actors delivered a superb and cool performance. Finally Olivier Marchal presented a great thriller worth watching.

MR 7/10

In grimy Marseilles, drunken disheveled Detective Louis Schneider is arrested for hijacking a bus. The driver told him to sit down which got him to pull out his gun. A car accident left his daughter dead and his wife despondent. He is relegated to work the night shift. Unrepetent killer Charles Subra is getting probation. Survivor Justine Maxence approaches arresting detective Schneider from those years ago for help. There is a serial killer on the loose. There is also a cover-up and Schneider is hounded to quit.

Daniel Auteuil is acting through his scruffy appearance and his dangling cigarettes. He is so good at being world weary that the movie in general is drained of life. It's all grim and crumbling without any tension. The disjointed storytelling with the constant flashbacks to the same incident gets a bit tiresome. This movie has the moody style but the flow needs to be more compelling. I think I almost like this movie.

Some movies are saved by their actors.To write that the movie is derivative is to state the obvious .It borrows from many of the American thrillers of the nineties ,the inmate (notably) is another reincarnation of Hannibal. Fortunately,no Clarice,but Justine ,daughter of his victims ,whose part is the most interesting of the whole movie.Her commitment to her grandpa is extraordinary and the scene of the mass for the dead rings true .Her relationship with the hero is more conventional but the viewer really needed some sunlight breaking out.

A hero who has perhaps never deserved more to be called anti hero.It takes a lot of nerve ,a lot of genius and a lot of courage to play such a demeaning part of a fallen cop,who smells urine and alcohol ,with an haggard face who seems to have suffered his misfortunes without complain. Daniel Auteuil is ,much more than Depardieu,to the French cinema what Jean Gabin was half a century ago and besides he ages more gracefully .This part and that of Nicole Garcia's "L'Adversaire" are among his finest performances.The only thing that's lacking is a firm strong screenplay.This one is a bit desultory ,but who cares?Auteuil carries the movie on his shoulders ,with fine support by Olivia Bonamy.

Well I stepped into an avalanche,it covered up my soul..... (L.C.)